The Eagle, the Ember and the Stone
by Eaglehaze
Summary: Stone and Ember are kits that lives in a gang. This gang trains kits at a very young age. They are abusive, they neglect and they're cruel. Ember's brothers gets killed, she gets betrayed, and she runs away. In her new life, she is part of a prophecy and the beginning of StormClan begins. Allot better (hopefully) then it sounds, challenge from The Eagle's haze.


Kits tumbled around their mothers' feet. "Stone!" A voice called. A grey-black tom looked over to see a brown and white she cat. His best friend.

"Ember!" He called back. Ember leaped at him, bowling him over. Another tom, Spider, came over with his sister. They held him down and mockingly bit his ear as he vainly tried to get up. "Hey let me go!" he yowled.

An older looking red tom padded up, his pelt laced with scars even though he was young for a fighter. "Let him go." He said. "Go and play moss ball or something."

"Fox!" Ember and Spider yowled, running up to their brother.

"You might want to make yourselves presentable." Fox carried on. Turing to Frost, Stone's mother, and Fleck, Ember and Spider's mother, he said, "Father is coming later to see who will be his successor." He told them grimly.

Frost's eyes widened. "Lash? But he said that wasn't going to be for another moon! They're only two moons!" She wailed.

"They will get hurt!" Fleck yowled. "You know how hard they train the kits around here, but it's usually when they hit three moons. They're too young..." She trailed off.

Stone shrugged his mother off. "I'll be fine mother." He told her gently. Frost wrapped her tail around Stone tightly.

"Let's get you cleaned up then." She said, liking his fur dry. Stone didn't complain because his mother wouldn't always be there to care for him. Ember however didn't enjoy the attention from her mother.

Later, a large, scared, muscled looking tom strode into the den with an air of confidence. Stone stood next to Ember. They both shrunk back. "My name is Lash and I have chosen one of you to become my successor, to lead the group after me." His eyes raked over us. "Spider, you will be my next successor. You must come and train with me now, and learn." He said. Spider nervously stumbled forward, his eyes full of fear.

"You'll be fine." Ember whispered to her brother. Stone just looked on fearfully as Spider walked out of the den.

"Be safe!" Fleck called out. Lash appeared back at the entrance and raked his claws across is mate's muzzle. Fleck stared defiantly but didn't say anything. Ember wailed loudly and Stone padded over to her, pressing against her pelt for comfort.

"Don't worry kits." Fleck soothed them when Lash had left. "I'll be fine. But you need to get prepared. The day after the successor gets chosen all the other kits start training."

"Is Shadow coming too?" Stone asked. Shadow was his younger half brother but he still loved him as though they did have the same parents.

"No Stone, Shadow is too young to train with you, in a half moon he will." Frost said tightly. Shadow wasn't her kit. He was the second in command's kit, Honey. Swipe was Stone's father and Shadow's father, but Honey preferred to stay in her own privet den while she nursed. In honey's place was Talon, a bloodthirsty cat hungry for power.

I nodded and padded over to Ember. "Will he be okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah." She mewed absently. "He's strong. He'll be fine." She mewed in a stronger voice, turning to face him.

...

"No! Claws unsheathed! Your opponent needs to feel fear or you will never be respected!" Claw shouted angrily. He swiped his claws down Stone's back and he yowled in pain. He nodded, eyesight blurry. Stumbling to his feet, he leaped at Claw, claws unsheathed, and dug them deep into Claw's muzzle.

Claw yowled and swung a heavy paw at him but Stone drew in his claws and scrabbled away. Quickly unsheathing his claws again, he slid under his belly and knocked his paws out from underneath him. He got out of the way before he collapsed on him and leaped on his back, burying his claws between his shoulder blades.

Crying in pain, Claw reared up, throwing Stone off of his back. "You should have sliced my belly when you went to trip me! And clawed at my back when you dug your claws into my back!" He screeched, slicing his claws down Stones back. He yowled in pain. "Dismissed! Claw yowled!

Stone scurried away to the learner's cave. This cave was large, uncomfortable, and cold. There were no nests, the roof was covered in holes, and the only two learners in here were himself and Ember. Stone lay down in the corner, paws tucked underneath him, and fell into a painful and uneasy sleep.

...

Stone awoke to yowling beside him. He shot to his paws to see Ember splayed out, paws thrashing. "Spider!" She yowled.

Shocked, Stone stood over her. "Ember!" He yowled.

"No! I don't want t- help!" She cried. Stone planted a firm paw on her chest to keep her still.

"Ember, you need to calm down." He said calmly, hoping to reach her with his calming tone. Ember suddenly bolted to her paws, fur fluffed, claws unsheathed.

When she realised it was Stone, she relaxed, fur smoothing, claws subtracting. She collapsed into his side. "Spider's dead!" She whispered in a hoarse voice.

_Dead? He's dead? _"How?" I choked.

"Lash gave him too many injuries. He's dead Stone he's dead!" She wailed. "Lash said I was going to lead the gang now! I don't want to!"

"What are you going to do?" Stone asked, giving her head a few soothing licks.

"I don't know." She whispered before drifting off into sleep. Stone followed.

**Ember's POV**

After I was sure Stone was asleep, I sneaked out of my nest and padded out of the den. Walking slowly into the forest, I found a large rock and sat upon it, looking out over the stars. "Spider..." I mourned. _The gang didn't even mourn! _The only cats who mourned were Fleck, Fox and Frost. _Lash didn't even care._

"How're you doing?" Came a voice from behind her. She spun around to see Fox. He leaped up beside her and laid his tail across her shoulders. "I miss him too." I said quietly.

"I don't want to lead the gang." I said quietly.

Fox was quiet for a while before he said. "Then, go." He told her.

"What?" Ember gasped.

"I'll go with you. This gang in abusive. I've lost my younger brother! Let's go." He said.

Ember sat in quiet thought for a small while. "What about Stone? And Fleck? And Shadow!"

"Fleck is loyal to the gang. She'd never let you go. Shadow is too young to understand. But Stone could come. Go and ask him, we'll leave at dawn." Fox told her.

Ember nodded and ran off.

**Stone's POV**

I yet again woke due to Ember, but this time, she was trying to talk to me. "Stone! I need to talk to you!" Ember whispered. Stone sat up groggily.

"This is the second time tonight you've woken me!"

"We're running away!" She whispered urgently.

"What? Why? When?" He asked in a flurry of questions. _Running away? It makes sense I guess._

"Fox is coming with us! Let's go!"

"Okay okay! I'll be there soon." I told her. She nodded excitedly and raced out of the den.

_I can't leave without Shadow! He's my little brother! _Stone slunk quietly out of the den and headed over to Honey's den. She was sleeping quietly and to Stone's relief, Shadow was sleeping at the edge of the nest. Grabbing him silently, I padded out of the den. "Stone!" Shadow squealed happily.

"Come on, we're leaving, running away." Stone explained to his identical younger half brother.

"Really?" Shadow cried excitedly.

"Yeah, Ember and Fox is coming too." I told him.

Suddenly a screech came from the den next to them and Honey burst from her den. "What are you doing with my son?" She spat, running up and grabbing Shadow from Stone.

"Mother! We're running away with Ember and Fox!" Shadow told her excitedly.

By now the whole gang was gathered round, including Ember and Fox, who were staring at him in shock. Lash stepped forward, his tail thrashing.

"What's this?" He snarled.

"Well, we were going to leave the group..." Shadow trailed off.

"Ember! Fox! Step forward now!" Lash yowled. Ember scurried over while Fox strode forward.

"What is this about leaving?" Lash asked in a deathly calm voice. Ember just flattened herself to the ground and Fox explained.

"You killed our little brother and Ember has no with to lead this forsaken gang. We no longer have any wish to stay here."

Lash struck out at Fox. Fox crumpled to the ground with a yowl of pain, blood spurting from his stomach. "Ember!" He gasped, "run!"

Ember stared shell shocked for a few moments before racing out of camp. "Ember! Wait!" Stone yowled.

"Talon! Lead a patrol! Don't let her get away! Bring her back alive! I'll enjoy this." Lash ordered.

"Teach Stone his lesson." He ordered the gang. Suddenly, Stone felt yowls and claws scoring against his pelt. He yowled but didn't fight back. If he fought back he would be killed. He sat there in pain as the entirety of the group attacked him.

**Ember's POV**

Ember ran. There wasn't anything else she could do. She heard the thrumming of paws behind her but she didn't care. _Fox is dead! Stone betrayed me! What will I do? _My extraordinary speed allowed me to easily out run the gang and I soon found myself in unfamiliar territory. _Where am I? _I paced around in panic. I padded further into the forest and stumbled upon five sleeping figures.

As I running so fast, I crashed right into the nearest one. The cat shot to its paws. "Who are you?" It hissed. It was a she cat.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Ember cried. Her vision went black, and she passed out.

...

Ember woke again in a warm, mossy nest surrounded by the smells of the forest. She sat up to see five empty nests. "You're awake!" A voice exclaimed. I spun around, hissing. "Calm down." The voice soothed. It was the same cat Ember had run into last night. She was a brown she cat with white patches, a black tail tip and ear and a ginger muzzle. "It's okay. Sorry I snapped last night, I was annoyed. The she cat looked at least seven moons old.

Ember sighed in relief. "Thank you. But I have no where to go." She said quite pathetically.

"You don't look older than three moons, you must be starving!" She said sympathetically. Ember realised how hungry she really was.

"A bit." She mumbled.

"I'm Eagle by the way." The she cat told her as she grabbed a mouse from the pile.

This was all so confusing. Ever since Ember had left the gang she hadn't felt the scoring of claws along her pelt or the yowling of a challenge among gang mates. She bit into the mouse cautiously, watching Eagle carefully. She finished and licked her whiskers.

"You know you can always stay here. You don't look as though you'd survive a day out here on your own.

"Of course I would!" But she didn't believe her own words. "But I would like to stay here..." She trailed off.

Eagle's eyes lit up. Come on! I'll introduce you to the others!"

She let Ember through the trees confidently, apparently following some sort of trail. They soon came across four other cats. "Hey! She's agreed to join us!" Eagle told them excitedly.

A grey-black tom gave a cautious glance. "Who is she? Where'd she come from?" Ember flattened herself to the ground.

"Wolf! Be nice! She's only a few moons old!" Eagle scolded. "What's your name?" She asked.

"E-Ember." She stuttered.

"Well, Ember, this grump is Wolf." Is said pointing to the large grey tom. "And this is Leopard," she said pointing to a yellow she cat with brown spots. "Storm," a grey tom that looked allot like Wolf. "And this id Lightning." She finished, pointing with her tail at a golden-yellow tom.

"Welcome to the group!" Lightning congratulated. The others crowded 'round too, even Wolf, although less enthusiastically.

**Time skip**

"Come on Ember!" Lightning called. It had been five moons since Ember had joined the five littermates and now she was playing tag with Lightning and Storm. She yowled and dashed after them. Suddenly, a loud yowl was heard from ahead of her. Eyes widening, Ember raced forward to see Storm spayed out in the grass in front of her. He was lying in a ditch, blood trickling from his neck. Ember screamed.

"What happened?" She yowled.

"He climbed that tree." Lightning sobbed from beside his brother, pointing up an extremely large tree. "He slipped." Ember collapsed next to Storm. He was almost family in her eyes. After a while of mourning she coked, "Come on, let's get him back to camp."

They trailed slowly through the forest, struggling to carry Storm's heavy form. They arrived back at camp where Eagle padded out of the den they all shared. She gasped when she saw Storm and ran up to her brother. "What happened?" She demanded.

"He fell out a tree and broke his neck." Ember explained sadly.

That night, everyone crowed around them, mourning. Ember sat next to Wolf, who had warmed up to her in the time she had been here.

"Ember, can I talk to you? Please? Eagle whispered so as not to disturb her littermates.

I nodded and followed her away from ear shot of the others. "I've had a dream. I don't know whether to believe it or not. But it seemed so intense. This cat visited me. It said "the eagle will rise in a haze of glory with the help of the shining ember"." She said. "A Clan will be formed and the Clan of Storms will overcome the others"." She finished.

"What does that mean?" Ember asked confused.

Eagle sighed. "Isn't it obvious? We must start a new group, called a Clan. Your name will be Embershine and mine will be Eaglehaze. The Clan's name will be StormClan." Ember gasped.

"StormClan... after Storm!"

Eagle, or Eaglehaze, nodded. "Yes, come on. We must say goodbye then go."

"What? They're not coming with us?" Embershine gasped.

"No. The prophecy didn't mention them. Maybe later, but right now, we need to get it started." Embershine nodded unhappily and followed her best friend to the others.

"Hey guys, we need to tell you something." Eaglehaze told them. Everyone gathered 'round. "We're starting our own Clan. But you need to stay here. If you want you can come and join later but for now we need to get a few things straight. I had a dream that contained a prophecy with me and Ember in it."

"Wait, what?" Leopard asked, confused. "You're leaving?"

"Yes." Ember sighed. "But we promise we'll visit!"

Wolf came up to them. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We are." Eaglehaze told them.

"Then good luck." Lightning said, coming up. "Just, stay close by okay?"

"We will. Bye! We'll visit once we get settled in." Embershine said.

They all mewed their goodbyes and Embershine and Eaglehaze padded out of camp.

**Well that was the one shot for The Eagle's haze on my forum! If you want to know what happened after go to "The Eagle's haze" in forums. Tell me what you thought of it in a review and come and join in my forum! (You know if you want to)**

**Sorry if the characters seemed a bit... unconcerned. But I'm not good at these type of things...**

**-Eaglehaze**


End file.
